[alfa] Working with Aluminum

[David Griszkauskas <alfagriz1@xxxxxxxxx>]

As a manufacturing engineer in the Aerospace industry,
I'll give my 2 cents about this topic

- yes, Al threads strip easily, that is why most
components in the aerospace industry are designed with
heli-coil inserts from the get go. If you can get
them, use the locking kind or thread lock. Use a
graphite based assembly lube to help install the coils
and hardware

- off the shelf torque wrenches usually are not
calibrated accurately enough. Most devices like these
would be calibrated every 6 months to a year for
critical assembly purposeds and yes they can be way
out. Remember also if you use a "crows foot" style
socket end, these change the values of the torque
applied. The manufacturer of the wrench should be able
to supply a conversion value.

- Watch what comes in contact with aluminum. Different
metals can cause aluminum to corrode over time if they
touch, I believe Zinc is one of those as well as
certain stainless steels (400 series?). To prevent
this either use a little di-electric grease at the
interface to keep the reaction from occuring or coat
the aluminum with a clear coat. The couple of
components that I have cleaned up I've use wheel clear
coat figuring that if its made to tar and brake fluid,
it could handle just about anything. Again, the
aircraft industry, exposed aluminum would be coated
with a "conversion coating" to prevent corrosion.

- Aluminum alloys used in autos are more brittle than
the steel used - do not use a bigger hammer on it or
it will break!

hope this helps. chime in if I'm off the mark

Grizzly

1988 Graduate


		
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